Overview of The Great Shizuma
by Chiharu-senpai
Summary: So I had some thoughts on my fic The Great Shizuma as well as my work in general that I had to type. If you've read TGS you'll read about some plot mistakes I corrected, a soundtrack for TGS, and the use of astrology in TGS.


**THIS IS KIND OF LIKE A BLOG…**

Ehh, just had some random thoughts about The Great Shizuma that I wanted to type. This story turned out quite far from what it was originally. It was supposed to be a bit of a prequel to Self-Assurance (that first story which was _muy horrible_) telling about how Tamao and Nagisa got together. The Great Shizuma surprised me, though — it became strong enough to stand on its own.

There were also the minor/major plot edits I made. For example, in Blue Moon (chapter four), after Tamao yelled at Nagisa and ran out of the auditorium. Originally Nagisa was to follow her back to their dorm where they would argue a bit and eventually make up. I enjoy writing arguments, watching as the characters' personalities bounce off one another, but this Tamao/Nagisa argument was nothing more than them spinning their wheels. Arguing in circles. So I wrote it out, and had Nagisa introduce the metaphor of blue moons::true love. (I actually yoinked that from an episode of _Sex and the City_.) That was more romantic.

Tamao and Nagisa were the romantic couple, whereas Yaya and Tsubomi were the funny couple.

Randomness…

Another edit I made was to Tamao v Shizuma (chapter six) where Tamao and Shizuma got into a scrap. Originally I was going to have Shizuma trick Tamao, pretend to seduce her, and then put her into unconsciousness. Gyuhh, how to explain this…? I got this stupid idea after watching a program on that Russian spy who was poisoned by Vladimir whatshisname. Tamao wasn't going to be _poisoned, _but she was going to be drugged, therefore hindering her performance in _The Great Gatsby. _But there were two major things wrong with this plot point. One: there was no way Tamao would recover in time for the play. Two: it was just wayyyy too crazy, even for The Great Shizuma.

* * *

During my writing of The Great Shizuma I was asked what kind of music do I listen to while I write. My answer was and still is that I never listen to anything with lyrics while I write. I find the words too distracting. I did, however, compile a little playlist to go with The Great Shizuma. My music collection dates way back to the '90s when I was little. I don't necessarily listen to some of this stuff anymore, but...

**"Too Little, Too Late" by Jojo **— This would essentially be Nagisa's feelings toward Shizuma with lyrics like "You take my hand and say you've changed...your begging don't fool me" and "It's just too little, too late / a little too wrong and I can't wait." Listen to Jojo's voice on the last chorus; those high notes are perfect! I wish I could sing like that, damnit...

**"Mayfly" by Belle and Sebastian **— B and S is my favorite indie band, and this song so reminds me of Tamao. Mayfly is about a romantic dreamer who befriends a mayfly. The line "Lovesick, it came back upon yourself / You are the one left on the shelf" especially reminds me of Tamao. I actually made a reference to this song in chapter four...

**"Knock-Down, Drag-Out" by Weezer **and **"Every Other Time" by LFO **— I'm lumping these songs together because they're both songs I attribute to Yaya and Tsubomi. Every Other Time would definitely be sung from Yaya's viewpoint, with lines like "I said 'let's talk about it, and she walked out on me and slammed the door / But I just laugh about it, because we're always playing those games."

...I know it's not much, but...

* * *

**THE USE OF ASTROLOGY IN THE GREAT SHIZUMA**

I got re-obsessed with astrology while working on this fic. When matching a character to a sign I was more concerned with romantic compatibility than the personality of the sign. For example: Yaya and Tsubomi. I knew they both had to be born under fixed signs (those born under fixed signs — Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius — are stubborn usually). Given this, they would either be a TaurusxScorpio pair or a LeoxAquarius pair. I could see either of them being a Leo, but neither of them seemed to possess the qualities of an Aquarius (offbeat, wayward, creative). A Taurean is usually very down-to-earth, practical, even-tempered (but prone to furious outbursts when put upon), and affectionate. A Scorpio is emotional, attractive, intensely sexual, angry, possessive, and romantic (but Scorpio tends to hide his/her romantic tendencies). _Voil la! _I decided Tsubomi was a Taurus and Yaya was a Scorpio.

Then there was Tamao and Nagisa. This was a bit more difficult, especially for Nagisa, who seems to combine some of the best and worst qualities of several zodiac signs in her personality. Nonetheless, I automatically knew Tamao should be a Libra — the most poetic and romantic sign in the zodiac. The qualities of Libra are thus: Masculine duality (implying an outgoing personality), Air triplicity (implying an ability and enjoyment of communicating [people born under Air signs typically like to write]), and a Cardinal quadruplicity (implying a natural instinct for leadership). Now the trick was to pick a sign for Nagisa that Tamao would be compatible with. The signs compatible with Libra are thus: Aries, Gemini, Leo, Sagittarius, and Aquarius. I mainly picked Sagittarius because it's my sign, but Nagisa seems to have the exuberant, charming personality of this sign.

And everyone else? It more came down to personality than compatibility. Remon and Kizuna are GeminixAquarius because they are both odd like Air signs tend to be, Remon is more nervous like a Gemini, and Kizuna is more forceful like an Aquarius. Kagome is a Pisces because she's very perceptive, much like the Water sign. Shizuma is an Aries because she's dominating, fiery, and a bit selfish. Ironically, Aries is every bit compatible with Sagittarius as Libra is.

* * *

I left the ending of The Great Shizuma a little open to allow a sequel, which is Aw, Grow Up Already! Already I'm thinking this should be a trilogy as I'm getting an idea for part three. But first I have to finish AGUA (weird acronym, and it spells the Spanish word for "water"). Presently, though, I have _very _bad writer's block. I can't even write a chapter for The Sisterhood of the Traveling Umbrella, and that's a crack for God's sake. Everytime I sit down to write AGUA (I'm thirsty) now, I feel very distant from it. I don't know when I'll be able to pick up on it again. Damn it, writer's block is so freaking inconvenient...sigh...

This is all I have to say about The Great Shizuma for now. Maybe I can write something like this when I'm done with AGUA.

**Tsubomi: **...which will be in, what, 2014?

**Me: **No, you little twerp, sooner.

**Tsubomi: **Twerp! I'll have you know that I'm fourteen in AGUA!

**Me: **And I'll have you know that I'll be graduating from college in '14. What will _you _be doing?

**Tsubomi: **.....Y-you suck, Bridget-senpai! Surprising no one!

Tell me something I don't know...

Oh! One more thing before I go: I'm currently drawing a TamaoxNagisa doujin titled _Senshu-sha to Nagisa _(which means _The Editor and Nagisa_). When I'm done with it, I plan to post it on deviantART. It's very, VERY loosely based off "Snow Fall" by ZIIIX. Pretty vague description, but you'll see when you read it. My username is chiharusenpai.

See y'all around! Peace.

~TamaoxNagisa4EVER


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